Berliner Dome during Festival of Lights
As of yesterday, I have been in Berlin for a month. I almost can't believe it! Time is going by so fast and I am having the time of my life. Currently, my boyfriend Ali is visiting me from Seattle. During the first few days that he has been here I took him to Alexanderplatz to show him the TV tower, and then one stop further to Hackescher Markt to show him the Berliner Dome and Lustgarden and historical buildings in that area. I was proud of myself that I was able to guide him around the city and show him all the landmarks that I had previously seen on my tours. Later in the evening, we went to the last day of the "Festival of Lights", I had gone previously on one of the first nights and had only seen the lights on the Berliner Dome, but we decided to wander around toward the Brandenburg Gate and we saw a lot of cool lights on various buildings along the way. It was one of my favorite nights that I have spent in Berlin so far. On Friday, Thorsten took us to the Jewish Museum in Berlin. It was within walking distance from the apartments so we decided to have a nice early morning walk to the museum. It has been really sunny in Berlin the last few days so it was nice to enjoy the sun while it lasted. I had done extra reading to prepare for a presentation that I had to give that morning, so seeing the building and its interesting architecture really connected to the reading I had done. The building emphasizes 'voids' as a representation of the numerous voids of Jewish History in Berlin as a result of the Holocaust. Even without the exhibition, the building itself serves as a large tribute to the history. My favorite part of the museum was the Holocaust Tower. It is a large cement room that is void of heat and the only source of light is from a rectangular slit in the ceiling. Thorsten told us that the Architect, Daniel Libeskind, designed the room after hearing the experience of a Holocaust survivor. As soon as being shoved in a train while being deported, filled with feelings of fear and intense sadness, out of all the darkness on the train all she could see in the darkness was a rectangular slit. Libeskind's recreation of this experience in the form of the Holocaust Tower was extremely powerful, the whole building itself was. I was not very impressed by the actual exhibit itself, but I understand the idea that the museum wanted to move away from having Jewish History in Berlin begin and end at the Holocaust. I am really enjoying my time in Berlin and my classes as well. The classes I am taking are the only ones where I don't get bored of the reading and I actually find it interesting. Being in the city where all these events have been taking place makes the history come alive. My next mission is to find the best currywurst place in Berlin.
More later, Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment